Kern County Leads Nation in Employment Gains

Employment in California’s largest counties rose between December of 2010 and December of 2011, but paychecks got smaller in most large counties. 24 of the 26 large counties in California saw employment increase. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics defines large counties as those with employment of 75,000 or more.

Kern County posted a 5.3 percent increase, followed by San Francisco County at 3.3 percent. Kern County’s increase was not only the largest increase in the state but in the country as well. Los Angeles County has the highest number of employed at more than 3.9 million.

While more Californians may be employed, they may be earning less money. The vast majority of counties showed weekly wage decreases, and all but seven large counties experienced declines greater than the national average. San Francisco and San Mateo were the only exceptions with slight wage gains.

Fresno County saw an employment increase of 0.6 percent, but saw wages fall by 1.8 percent.